Skip to Main Content
11 Palmerston Lane, Canberra, ACT 2603

Winner of the 2017 Capstone Editing Early Career Academic Research Grant for Women

Posted by Capstone Editing on 29 June 2017

Winner of the 2017 Capstone Editing Early Career Academic Research Grant for Women

We are extremely proud to announce that Dr Megan Sutherland is the inaugural recipient of the Capstone Editing Early Career Academic Research Grant for Women.

Dr Megan Sutherland: Capstone Editing Early Career Academic Research Grant for Women 2017 winner

Megan is a Research Fellow at the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, in the laboratory of Professor M. Jane Black. Megan will utilise her award to travel and work with her collaborators at the Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, on her research into the impact of preterm birth on renal function in Indigenous Australian infants.

Preterm babies are born at a time when their kidneys are still developing, and Megan’s research is focused on determining what impact this has on the structure and function of the immature kidneys. Her important findings have been published in a number of journal articles, including Sutherland et al. (2011) and Gubhaju, Sutherland et al. (2014).

In Australia, a high proportion (14%) of Indigenous infants are born preterm each year, and are therefore at risk of impaired kidney development and function after birth. These impairments not only influence the ability of the preterm infant to grow and thrive, but can also increase their risk of developing kidney disease in later life. This is of particular concern in the Australian Indigenous community, in which rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are already exceedingly high. With the support of Capstone Editing, Megan aims to fully assess the impact of preterm birth on renal function in Australian Indigenous infants during the first month of life, and identify any risk factors for the later development of CKD.

Megan is a highly talented early career researcher, and a current recipient of an NHMRC CJ Martin Early Career Fellowship. Megan completed her PhD at Monash University in 2012, spent the last four years working in postdoctoral positions overseas (at the University of Montreal, Canada, and the University of Cambridge, UK) and has recently returned to Australia to continue her research. This opportunity from Capstone Editing will not only help to increase Megan’s publication record, but will also assist her in obtaining future independent research funding.

References

Sutherland MR, Gubhaju L, Moore L, Kent AL, Dahlstrom JE, Horne RS, Hoy WE, Bertram JF and Black MJ (2011) Accelerated maturation and abnormal morphology in the preterm neonatal kidney. J Am Soc Nephrol 22(7):1365–74. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2010121266

Gubhaju L, Sutherland MR, Horne RS, Medhurst A, Kent AL, Ramsden A, Moore L, Singh G, Hoy WE and Black MJ (2014) Assessment of renal functional maturation and injury in preterm neonates during the first month of life. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 307(2):F149–158. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00439.2013

Capstone Editing

Subscribe to our Blog

To receive informative articles and tailored advice for academics and students, as well as updates about our exciting grant and scholarship opportunities, please subscribe to our blog.